Celtic are expected to clinch the Scottish Premiership within a week as they
continue to enjoy Rangers' absence

In a fashion as certain as death and taxes - at least since Rangers were tipped over the side with shackles around their ankles - Celtic's third successive Scottish championship will be secured this week.

Should Aberdeen shed points against Ross County at Dingwall on Tuesday night, Neil Lennon & Co can take the prize with a victory over Partick Thistle at Firhill.

If Aberdeen emerge from the Highlands with full points and Celtic beat Thistle, the Hoops will then require only a draw when Ross County visit the east end of Glasgow on Saturday to permit them to break out the celebratory fizz with six games remaining.

There is a vacuum in Scottish football because of the enforced separation of the Old Firm but it should be acknowledged that, with only their own standards to match, Celtic have displayed commendable professionalism on their march to the championship.

To put this in perspective, with the exception of Aberdeen - who have beaten them in the Scottish Cup and in the league at Pittodrie - no team has scored against Celtic in domestic competition since Nov 4, when they conceded a goal in their 4-1 victory over Ross County in Dingwall.

Minus the Aberdeen games, they have scored 50 goals without reply in 17 fixtures, one goal short of an average of three a game.

They would have achieved that statistic had a shot from Kris Commons gone in and not hit the post in their 3-0 weekend win at home to St Mirren, who were subdued by goals from Stefan Johansen, Leigh Griffiths and Anthony Stokes. With the conclusion foregone, interest amongst the home crowd has begun to settle upon the possibility that promising young players will now get their chance.

In that respect, Liam Henderson has created a stir. The 17-year-old - son of midfielder, Nicky Henderson, who played for Falkirk, Partick Thistle and Hamilton, amongst others - made his debut in the 5-0 rout of Motherwell at Fir Park in December but had to wait until Celtic's visit to Kilmarnock earlier this month to add to his playing time.

Tidy on the ball, with a turn of pace and a pleasing confidence, Henderson has gratified a crowd in search of much-needed novelty, although he conceded that the most obvious improvement he can make is to calm himself, especially after a rushed attempt to finish cost him a probable first goal for the club.

"I get nervous before every game I play, but nerves are a good thing," he said. "It's brilliant having players like Scott Brown and Stefan Johansen alongside me, both in training and in games. They have been a great help to me.

"I need to give my Dad a mention as one of my heroes growing up. Steven Gerrard and Zinedine Zidane were the others. My Dad was the biggest influence on my career, along with my Mum.

"The way he talks to me after games is a huge influence on me. He's been part of my football career since I was four, driving me everywhere for games and travelling all over the world to watch me. He is a hard man to please. I don't think I'll ever please him - ever.

"The biggest lesson I've learned so far is not to give the ball away too cheaply. Sometimes I try to rush it a wee bit too much. It's just the way I play.

"I had a chance to score. It was a sitter, wasn't it? These things happen. I just need to not let it affect me that much.

"The goals will come. I need to work on goal scoring, I need to stay behind after training and work on finishing. I need to add more goals to my game."

As for Saints, with their attacking players also having to put in a shift to stop Celtic breaking from midfield and the full-back positions, there was never a probability that they would prevail. They remain in the danger zone, despite an ongoing commitment to pleasing football, which was evident in spells at the weekend.

"You are always worried when you are not picking up points, but we can take positives from the way we are playing at the moment," said midfielder, Kenny McLean, who has been linked with Rangers.

"In the last three games, we have been really good for long spells but we have been punished for a few mistakes at the wrong times.

"It's good for us that the other teams at the bottom all lost too. We need to take care of ourselves, but if we are not winning then we need other teams to help us out. We have got seven games left and they are all very winnable.

"We will be very positive. That's the way we have played in the last three games and if we keep playing like that, we will definitely pick points up.

"Of course, the last thing I would want is to leave St Mirren with the club going down. That's why my main focus is on the pitch and nowhere else. The manager knows that."